A 24-year-old Sharpsburg man is headed to prison for 20 years after showing up to meet what he thought was a 12-year-old girl, according to Coweta County investigators. The “child” turned out to be an undercover deputy, and the meetup was part of an online-predator sting that local authorities say is now a regular tool in their fight against adults who target minors through social media and messaging apps.
Deputies say the man sent sexually explicit messages and set up a meeting with the person he believed was a child, only to be arrested when he arrived, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. In a March 5 video segment, the station said he received a 20-year sentence and noted that investigators pursued charges including enticing a minor for indecent purposes and sexual exploitation of children. The report also said the full court docket was not yet available online.
Charges and the law
Georgia’s statute on “enticing a child for indecent purposes,” O.C.G.A. § 16-6-5, makes it a crime to solicit or take a person under 16 for indecent acts, according to Justia. A separate law makes it illegal to use a phone, computer or other communication tool to commit or help commit a felony, as outlined by Justia.
Crimes involving minors generally trigger mandatory listing on the state sex-offender registry, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation explains. That status typically comes with strict rules on where a person can live, work and travel once released.
Local crackdown and national trend
Coweta County investigators have teamed up with federal agencies in previous child-exploitation cases, part of a broader push to track online offenders, WSB reported last year. National data help explain why. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children logged more than 546,000 reports of online enticement in 2024, a steep jump that officials say supports the continued use of decoy operations, according to NCMEC.
Formal court records in the Sharpsburg case are expected to list the case number and full slate of charges once posted. Under Georgia law, a qualifying conviction brings sex-offender registration and other long-term obligations after release, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation notes. Anyone who suspects online exploitation of a child can contact local law enforcement or file a tip with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
